1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods of using polyvinyl alcohol based fabrics. In particular, the present invention provides methods for oil, wax, or hydrocarbon solvent absorption or adsorption and release using textiles formed from polyvinyl alcohol based fibers.
2. Background of the Invention
The spillage of oil or oily substances such as waxes is a common occurrence. In the household setting, such spills are generally cleaned using a fibrous material such as a paper towel or a cotton towel. The recovery of oil or wax by cotton towels is adequate at best. Moreover, once used, it is difficult to remove the oils from the cotton fabric for reuse of the fabric.
In the industrial setting, special nonwoven fabrics have been developed to assist in the recovery of oils or waxes. These nonwovens perform better than cotton fibers at absorbing oil. An example of such a nonwoven is the 3M.RTM. SRP Petro Spill Response Pack (3M Company, Minneapolis, Minn.) product. However, this product is expensive and does not release the oil or wax sufficiently rapidly to be practical. Therefore, there exists a need for reclamation and recovery methods employing superior materials.
In addition, where large oil spills have contaminated sand, there exists a need for a more effective way to recovery oils or oily substances from the sand.
Moreover, once the typical fabrics become saturated with oil or wax, they must be disposed of, which is an added expense.
Therefore there exists a need for a novel method of recovering and releasing oil or oily substances such as waxes. In addition, there exists a need for novel methods of recovering oil or wax from oil/sand mixtures. Finally, there exists a need for efficiently disposing of used recovery materials after the oil or wax has been recovered.